For the 107th Time
by Crowley's Apprentice
Summary: When Fury gave him his first mission after he was pulled out of the ice, Steve thought that he was back in business. What he didn't expect was to find that the people who he was supposed to be rescuing had actually escaped on their own. Set right before Winter Soldier.
1. Run, Dammit

There was a lot Steve missed about being an active member of the army. The camaraderie and friendship within his unit were one thing.

Having bombs exploding over his head were quite another.

It was even worse because the two Americans that he had been sent to break out of the terrorist's prison were quite capable of getting themselves out. In fact, they already had when he got there.

"Hurry up Rogers! You're going to get us all killed!" one of them, the woman, called.

"Run, dammit!" the man called after her.

Steve gritted his teeth and ran. Or rather, ran faster. _This is worse than basic training,_ he thought.

"Oh, hell," the man said with a distinct Irish accent. "We've got company!"

A wave of deja vu hit Steve as remembered all the times Dugan had said the same thing. It was gone quickly, however, as a group of soldiers began raining bullets down on them. _That was stupid,_ Steve thought as he turned around to throw a grenade, never breaking stride. _Although they would have been worse off if Peggy were here._

"This way!" called the woman, dodging into a well-hidden path that Steve would have run right past. As they went further, it widened out so that all three of them could run side by side. Steve marveled at the endurance of the pair he had been sent to retrieve. Not many civilians who had been cooped up in a jail cell for 10 months could match the pace they were setting. And yet they had been running for at least 10 minutes.

"Walk now. Act mad. You're our prisoner," she said after a few minutes. Slapping a pair of handcuffs (Steve had no idea where she had gotten them) onto his wrists, she pulled the scarf she had been wearing around her neck up to cover her face. Normally, Steve would have asked what was going on. But this woman reminded him a bit of Peggy Carter, and one thing that Peggy had taught him was to never question a woman when she was on a mission.

About five seconds later, Steve was glad for that advice. A hundred yards in front of them was a guard tower. He assumed that it belonged to the base they were escaping from.

"Who goes there?" the guard called out. (At least, that was the best translation that Steve could come in with. The man spoke in one of the native languages of the region)

"Friends of one who serve many," Steve's escort called out in the same language. He noticed that the woman, who had held herself so proudly earlier, was now following him subserviently, her head bowed slightly out of respect. Steve felt a fierce flash of anger that she had to act like that- that ANYONE had to act like that here.

"Your business?"

"Found my wife with this scoundrel last night. Have to get off base so I can deal with them." The woman was the very picture of shame and remorse.

"An American?" the guard questioned.

"American or not, I owe him for last night."

"Very well. But you owe me lunch tomorrow." Steve resisted the urge to laugh. Soldiers were motivated by the same things everywhere, and food topped the list.


	2. Cold Camp Conversation

"No tent. Now that we're out of the dunes, it'll be visible for miles."

The woman Steve had been travelling with had set a hard pace, despite the Irishman's good natured complaints. Now that the dusk was setting in, she had decided that the trio could finally rest. _I really do need to catch her name,_ Steve thought.

Her friend nodded agreement. "I'll take first watch," he offered.

"Thanks Pan," the woman replied.

Seeing an opportunity, Steve added, "You're Pan? My name's-"

"Captain Steve Rogers, formerly of the 107th light infantry regiment," they replied together.

"Ummm... Yeah... How'd you know that?"

The two looked at each other and grinned. "I'm afraid that's classified, sir," the woman joked. Steve noticed that, while she had used several different accents while they traveled, now that they were on their own at camp she seemed to favor a German one. _A German and an Irishman. I suppose they get along now that the war is over. This may take some getting used to,_ Steve thought.

"You wouldn't mind if I asked who you are?"

"I would, actually. Until we are back on friendly soil, I'd prefer if you only knew us by our radio names. I'm Mississippi."

"Missy for short!" the man interjected. Mississippi rolled her eyes.

"That's Panther. Back home, he was a professional idiot."

Panther bowed. "Why thank you, Missy!" Mississippi rolled her eyes again.

"How did you get your names?" Steve asked. Then, as an afterthought, he added, "You don't have to tell me."

"No, it's fine. It's not that we don't trust YOU- it's just that I've learned from personal experience that the rocks here have ears," Mississippi explained. "The less people that know who we are and why we're here, the better."

"Didn't they figure that out already? Since you were held prisoner and all that."

"Oh, Miss Missy can be very tight-lipped when she wants to be," Panther grinned. "I believe that Diana Jones may have been here on a search for archaeological relics."

"Don't laugh too hard, it fooled them for a week!"

"Yeah- then one of them got on Netflix and realized they had been a complete dumbass!" Steve laughed along with them. He enjoyed the friendly bickering between the two. It reminded him a lot about how he and Bucky had acted.

"Anyways, Benjamin Kenobi here was trying to defeat what his culture called the 'men of sand' shorty after that."

"And then Natasha Turkenof the Russian spy was searching for intel regarding Project Rebirth."

"Don't forget about Captain Steve Turner who was searching for Themi-syrian people!"

"And Jenna Raleigh!"

"Who's that?" Steve asked. He had recognized the names of most of the people they had talked about, but he had no idea who that was.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough," laughed Panther.

"Anyways, you asked how we got our radio names?" Mississippi asked.

"Oh! Yeah!" Steve hadn't realized how quickly they had gotten off track.

"He's Panther because he used to sneak up behind all of us at basic training- like a panther stalking it's prey." Steve nodded. Panther was light on his feet and agile. He wasn't surprised that he could move quietly. "That, and he is about the same height as one," Mississippi added. Panther slapped her arm playfully.

"At least I got a name based on my abilities," Panther said. "She's Mississippi because when they played that Canaan Smith song at dinner one night- 'Love You Like That', I think it's called? Anyways, she was the only one who knew the words. One of the lines is 'slow as the Mississippi, strong as a fifth of whiskey.' She almost always sang it 'Strong as the Mississippi, crap I did it again... whiskey, deeper than a sunset sky,' you get the point," he said, waving his hand dismissively. Steve laughed- he noticed that Mississippi did to.

"That's actually pretty accurate," she admitted. "Although I think the name stuck because I really am as strong as a river," she teased.

"Sure you are. At least you sing better than one."

"Well, in that case, how about a little campfire song?" Steve suggested.

"Sure. You bring that whatever it is?"

"A flute?" Steve guessed in response to Panther's hand motion.

"More or less. Yeah, I've got it." Reaching into the backpack that she had been carrying, Missy pulled out a beautiful hand carved box. Inside was what looked like a flute carved out of a reed.

"If it's chipped, I swear..." Panther started.

"Chill bro. It's fine," Mississippi assured him, pulling the instrument out. She raised her eyebrows slightly, looking at Panther.

"Escape! Du-uh!" Panther responded.

"Alright, Quill." Mississippi raised the instrument to her lips and began to play.


	3. Dinosaur Files

**A/N: To anyone who has read my other fanfic, Crowley's Apprentice: Stories From Araluen:**

 **1) Thank you!**

 **2) Don't kill me. I'm bad with remembering names. Just to clarify, the two people who share a name are not the same. At all. Anyways... Enjoy!**

 **A/N 2: I think it's logical to assume that Steve would be in contact with the President. I also think it's logical to assume that I would be in the middle of a HUGE political debate if I made a real person president. Hence, the president in this story is President Proedros (which is Greek for president q: ) Sooooo this is not a real person at all, just putting that out there now in case he plays a more active role later!**

* * *

"What do you want now?" Fury asked with obvious frustration.

"I was hoping to get some more information on the two people that I was sent to meet up with, Director," replied Steve.

"Not my business. I'm too busy with everything else to chase down every agent and their missions. Oh wait- that's actually what I have to do! Now out!" he barked.

Steve sighed. He hadn't had high hopes, but this was the easier method. _I guess I'll use the Dinosaur Files anyways,_ he thought. _I still don't understand why they're called that, but whatever._ Steve nodded at the guard.

"I need to access some files on an agent, code name Mississippi," he said.

"Name?" the guard asked with obvious boredom.

"Captain Steve Rogers."

"I'll get the system online."

A few minutes later, after he had presumably looked up the file in question, the guard spoke again.

"Sorry. Can't access that file."

"Why not?"

"Clearance level 10."

 _That's odd. Usually that's reserved for top level SHIELD agents. And both President Proedros and Fury said that they aren't one of their people. But Missy said something about basic training earlier..._

 _"_ I'll let Fury know later. How about another agent, code name Panter?"

After another couple of minutes, "Nope. Can't access that one either."

"Is it a 10 too?"

"Nope. 8," the guard said, checking his watch.

"Still got 15 minutes 'till shift change," Steve said sympathetically. "If I could see the file, I actually have the clearance." Steve tried to hand over his ID.

"Sorry sir. If you were a level 8, you wouldn't still be a captain."

 _Actually, Project Rebirth was a Level 8, which means that, in order for me to legally know about my own existence, SHIELD had to make me an 8 too. One of the few benefits of being classified._

Steve offered the card again. "If you have any suspicions, Maria Hill would be more than willing to back me up." The guard took the card and scanned it warily. Everyone knew that 'Maria Hill' and 'willing to [fill in the blank with helpful action]' didn't belong in the same sentence.

"Well, it looks like you're clear... I'll have to put you down as having visited... One second... Ok, you can go now."

Steve nodded his thanks. Then he sighed again. Maria Hill was going to be very angry when she got that guards call to come verify his clearance. Steve was perfectly aware that there was no check in system at the File Room. Therefore the guard wanted to notify the officials.

Steve pulled a file of the shelf in the 'P' section. "Here it is," he said to himself.

* * *

 **PANTHER**

 **STREET NAME JACK McCARTHY**

See also **JACK McCARTHY, SPECIAL OPs RIVER, AIR FORCE COLONELS**

 **Age:** 22

 **Height:** 5 feet 4 inches

 **Weight:** 159 lbs

 **Race:** Caucasian

 **Branch:** Air Force

 **Rank:** Colonel

 **Birthplace:** Clonmel, Ireland, United Kingdom

 **Residency:** Undefined American

 **Occupation:** Unspecified

 **Clearance:** 9, 10 on request

 **COB (Current Operations Base):** Unspecified

 **BCO (Base Commanding Officer):** N/A

 **General Assignment:** Special Operations and Undercover Action Committee

 **Other:** Currently assigned to Areas of Interest with OPERATIVE NAME MISSISSIPPI, CLEARANCE UNDEFINED.

* * *

 _So he's a spy... that's interesting. It explains all of the 'undefined' categories. And it looks like he really is Irish. He's a colonel who is assigned to Mississippi... that means that she outranks him. Not to mention ridiculously high clearances on both of them. This is quite the power team._


	4. The 701st Combined Special Infantry Unit

Steve took a deep breath and straightened his collar. His interview with the cabinet was at 2:30, in exactly two minutes. Reviewing his proposition again, he opened the door.

The room behind it was large, with a huge oval table slightly to one end of the room. Opposite the door, at the head of the table, was President Proedros. To his left was a woman whose nametag marked her as the Secretary of Education. Sitting next to her was the Secretary of Agriculture, Followed by the secretaries of Commerce, Health and Human Services, the Treasury, Transportation, and Labor. To the right of the president was the Secretary of State, followed by the Attorney General. Next to him were the secretaries of Energy and Housing and Urban Development. Then came the Secretary of Homeland Security, who was an authoritive looking Marine, the Secretary of the Interior, who Steve was surprised to see was Maria Hill, and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. A blond woman in a burgundy blazer was sitting in front of the door, her back to him. Steve thought that she was probably the Secretary of Defense.

Steve's work with SHIELD had taught him to observe fast- his entire train of thought had only taken the 10-15 seconds it took for President Proedros to recognize him and invite him into the room. Steve stepped inside, closing the door behind him, and then made his way to the space on the left of the table. He turned so that he was speaking to President Proedros more so than the others in the room- after all, he was the one who would be able to grant Steve his request.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of the cabinet," Steve began. "I am Captain Steve Rogers, formerly of the 107th light infantry co-operative division, and a current member of the United States Army. When I first enlisted, the 107th took on the missions that no one else would, or that had been tried and failed already. We were a group of the most talented members of the US, British, and French militaries and intelligence services. Each of us had our own strengths, and together we were one of the most successful teams in the history of this country." Steve paused for breath before continuing. "With your permission, I would like to create a similar strike team within the United States, the 701st Combined Special Infantry Unit. I would pull talented individuals from all of the military's branches."

"Why not just call it the 107th?" asked the secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

"The 107th is currently attached to the New York National Guard," the Marine said, sounding as if he had said this multiple times already.

"I think it's a good idea. We could certainly use something like that," Hill said with a nod towards Steve.

"I agree- with one slight change." The Secretary of Defense spoke up. Steve glanced at her with surprise. She had a vaguely familiar accent. "I want to be on it."

"I can't have every young woman in the country on this team because of who its leader is. Sorry miss," Proedros said condescendingly.

"I quite agree," the Marine said, while Hill and Steve bristled with anger. The Secretary of Defense smiled slightly. "Miss Berrigan, would you please remind the reporters, staff, and anchormen clustered outside the door that the cabinet session will not begin for another hour? It wouldn't do for them to get any ideas." Secretary Berrigan smiled, stepping outside. Steve could hear her speaking to the people outside. _Most people in her position would let the power get to their heads, yet she still addresses them respectfully. She knows that a leader does not get anyone's respect by yelling. I won't mind having her on the team,_ Steve thought.

The conversation resumed as she stepped back inside. "Well, I suppose we should vote on it," Proedros said. "All in favor of yet another unit, say aye."

Twelve of the 16 hands went up.

"Very well, Rogers. I will meet with you later to discuss recruiting," Secretary Berrigan said. Suddenly, Steve realized why her accent was so familiar. She looked different with make-up on.

"Thank you, Mississippi."


	5. Come On Rogers We Have a War to Plan

_When you enter, ask the lady at the front desk to direct you to the B wing. If you are standing by the vending machine, my office is in third hallway on the right. It is marked with the Marine Corps seal. Walk down that hallway until you come to a door that says Gen. Berrigan._

 _-Missy_

Glancing up from her note, Steve looked down the hallway. Each branch of the military was marked on the wall; army, navy, air force, coast guard, marine corps, and SHIELD. Steve resisted the temptation to walk through the army's wing and turned into the hallway Mississippi had directed him to. He was surprised by what he saw. He had thought that the Pentagon would just be a big office, but it really wasn't. There were doors every 10 or so feet on both sides of the wall, and maps between them. They were all poster sized and framed with a beautiful dark wood, although there wasn't any glass. Some of them were marked with pins or sticky notes. At the end of the hallway, a group of people wearing dress uniforms were clustered around a map of the middle east, pointing to different parts and talking in low voices. Steve realized that they were planning something.

 _It's kind of odd to think that the people planning everything that happens on the battlefield are safe here in Washington, not out on the field risking their lives with the rest of us,_ Steve thought as he walked down the long hallway, carefully scanning for Missy's door.

"If you're looking for Jenn, she's the last one on the left," said an older marine that Steve recognized from the Cabinet meeting.

"Jenn?"

"Sorry. General Berrigan. We call her Jenn sometimes as a joke."

"Oh, ok. Thanks," Steve said, grateful that he wouldn't have to check every door. Just as he finished thinking that, Mississippi opened the door and stepped out to join the planners. She handed them a piece of paper. Steve realized that she was the only woman in the group, and that she was by far the youngest. However, unlike President Proedros, no one here seemed to see her as anything but an equal. _Well, maybe that's not quite accurate,_ Steve thought as one of the Marines pulled out the pins he had just finished putting in and motioned for Mississippi to replace them. _These people are able to recognize that sometimes her ideas are superior._

"Great, I'll get the wheels rolling," Mississippi said. Then she nodded at Steve. "Come on Rogers. We've got a war to plan."


	6. Do as Peggy Says

After she had finished calling in orders to various commanders overseas, Mississippi sank down into her chair.

"Sometimes, I hate my job," she said, smiling ruefully.

"How so?" Steve asked

Missy waved her hand around the office. "I shouldn't be sitting here on a comfortable office chair while the men I am commanding are in a cold camp in Iraq."

"Ironic, isn't it? Especially since the said "cold camp" is actually quite hot."

Mississippi smiled again. It was an old joke among soldiers that the hottest camps often held the coldest emotions.

"Anyways, I brought something you might like to see. It's partially Clearance 0, partially Clearance 10. I figured you might like the full story, so I brought the latter. You've got permission to read it while you're with me." Mississippi slid a file folder across the table. Opening it up, Steve saw that it said "Peggy Carter" at the top.

He looked up, knowing full well that he was close to tears. "Thank you," he whispered. She nodded, understanding.

* * *

 **PEGGY CARTER**

 **OPERATIVE NAME- ENGLISH**

See also **PEGGY CARTER-FOUNDER OF SHIELD**

 **Age:** 87

 **Height:** 5 feet 8 inches

 **Weight:** 134 lbs

 **Race:** Caucasian

 **Branch:** SHIELD/SSR/Army

 **Rank:** Agent

 **Birthplace:** England

 **Residency:** Brooklyn Retirement Home

 **Occupation:** Agent, Retired

 **Clearance:** Undefined

 **COB (Current Operations Base):** Retired

 **BCO (Base Commanding Officer):** Herself

 **General Assignment:** Retired

 **Other:** Married to AGENT DANIEL SOUSA, SSR

* * *

There was a picture in the file too- the same one that Steve kept in his compass. And he couldn't stop the tear from rolling down his cheek at the last line. It was like he was losing her all over again.

"If it makes you feel any better, he was a good man," Hannah said, knowing exactly what was wrong. "He helped Peggy found SHIELD, but didn't tell anyone. He knew that she wouldn't get any credit if he did."

Steve nodded. "That helps. And I couldn't expect her to wait for me forever... I just... I don't know."

Hannah smiled slightly, handing him another file. "This one should be lighter reading. I heard that you wanted to read it earlier- here's your chance."

* * *

 **MISSISSIPPI**

 **STREET NAME HANNAH BERRIGAN**

See also **HANNAH BERRIGAN, PENTAGONAL CREW, CABINET**

 **Age:** too young to get any respect around here

 **Height:** too short to get any respect around here

 **Weight:** 118 lbs

 **Race:** No one cares

 **Branch:** Marine Corps

 **Rank:** Lieutenant General

 **Birthplace:** no one cares

 **Residency:** Undefined American

 **Occupation:** doesn't the rank kind of answer this question?

 **Clearance:** however high it needs to be to read the document she needs to read

 **COB (Current Operations Base):** Proud member of the Geometric War Planners based in the Pentagon

 **BCO (Base Commanding Officer):** GeneralGeorge Channing when it's convenient

 **General Assignment:** Special Operations and Undercover Action Committee

 **Alias:** Whatever the hell she wants to use

 **Other:** Secretary of Defense

* * *

Steve laughed. "They let you file this?"  
"No. No one has ever read it but me, and now you. I can't wait for them to figure it out!" she said gleefully.


	7. One Chance Only

"Give us a week for preparations, and we'll have the information," Hannah reassured Fury. It was barely 4 days after the 701st had been created, and already it looked like they had their first mission. The only problem was that Hannah and Steve were the only ones on the team so far.

But Hannah wasn't going to let that stop her.

As the two walked out into the hallway, Hannah turned to look at Steve. "We're going to need a bigger team."

"No kidding."

"I have an idea of someone who can be the first recruit, and I'll get one of the SHIELD agents to pull recon for this mission."

"Who are you thinking of?"

"You remember that Irishman who was with me when we met?" Hannah paused, and Steve nodded.

"Jack McCarthy."

"Yep. He would be perfect, I think."

"Do you know where to find him?"

"Yeah, I'll meet him later today."

"I'll come too."

"I really don't mind-"

"We're a team now, we may as well both go," Steve insisted. He was a little puzzled- Hannah looked decidedly unhappy about his determination. He shrugged inwardly. If she trusted McCarthy, that was enough for him at the moment.

* * *

"We're here."

Steve looked up at the run down apartment Hannah had stopped in front of. "Are you sure?"

"Do you think I would have come to this part of town if I wasn't?"

Steve had to admit there was truth in that. He wasn't sure that HE would have come to this part of town if he didn't have to, and he grew up in inner-city Brooklyn.

"We're not getting anything done standing out here," Hannah said as she walked into the building. Steve followed quickly. He knew that she was perfectly capable of defending herself if need be, but that didn't mean that she should have to.

Hannah noticed his rushed movement and glanced back. "I can take care of myself, you know," she said as if reading his thoughts.

"I know you can. But I don't want you to get arrested for knocking out some guy who flirted with you."

Hannah raised her eyebrows. "I'm pretty sure that the only guy who is going to flirt with me is a friend."

Steve frowned. He wasn't really sure why. Hannah walked up the stairs, turning right down a thin, dirty hallway. There were only 3 doors in it; one on each side and the one that opened (or used to- it was leaning against a wall with the hinges broken off) to the stairs. Hannah knocked on the left door, then rolled her eyes when there was no answer.

"Open up, dumkopf!" she said. When no one answered, she continued, "I know you're home... Oh, never mind." She pulled a bobby pin out of her hair and pushed it into the lock. It only took her a few seconds to have it open.

"You have a key, you know," came a voice from the other side of the door. Steve jumped; the place was just a little bit creepy.

"I know. This way's more fun though."

"If we're being honest, I do the same thing sometimes. Oh. You, uh, brought a... friend..." the voice said as Steve stepped through the door.

"Sorry Pan, I tried to call ahead but you weren't picking up."

"It's fine. I wish I could offer you a drink or something, but all I have is water."

"Oh- we just had lunch. Thanks anyways," Steve said. Jack (who was now visible) smiled sadly.

"Dammit Steve!" Hannah said angrily. Turning to Jack, she added, "Ich brachte ein Sandwich für später."

"Danke."

As the two continued to talk in German (which Steve only knew three words of) he took the opportunity to look around the room. It was tiny, and as dilapidated as the rest of the building. It was, however, staunchly clean. This man may not be in a good situation, but he obviously retained some pride. As far as furniture, there was a small camp bed, an old folding chair, and two photographs taped onto the wall. That was it. One photo was of Hannah, the other was a pretty redhead. Her arms were around someone, but the picture had been torn so that they weren't in it anymore. Steve briefly wondered who they were, and who she was, before Hannah's voice cut into his thoughts.

"What did you need again?"

"Oh! Well, I'm the, uh, lead- a member of a special forces team..."

"You're the leader. Anyways?" Hannah prompted him.

"I, uh, would... love it if you would, um, join the team."

"Bloody hell he's a bad liar!" McCarthy said to Hannah.

"Pan..."

"Ironic, isn't it? The panther is one of the quietest animals on Earth, and Pan was the noisy goat man."

"I think it's fitting."

"That doesn't mean it's any less ironic!"

"True. Please, Panther, I'd really like you to join the team."

"I know you would. But who's the leader here?"

"She is," Steve said, right as Hannah answered, "I am."

"George Channing when convenient, huh?"

"Pretty much."

"I figured that might be the case."

"So you'll join?"

"I didn't say that."

"Pretty please with a cherry on top?" Hannah grinned. Jack sighed.

"You know I don't want pity."

"That's good, because you know I haven't got any."

"Believe me, I'm aware!" McCarthy laughed.

"What I do have is a spare room."

"I couldn't ask you to do that."

"I know. That's why I offered."

"Hannah..."

"You get one chance, and one chance only, to accept."

"I can't."

"Fine," she said simply. Panther looked at her in surprise. He had obviously been expecting more resistance. Steve was surprised too.

"Well, uh... should we... head out?"

"Sounds good. Colonel McCarthy, I expect you to report to your new assignment at 5:00 sharp tomorrow. You have the option to come with us now or to find your own transportation. Lateness will not be acceptable."


	8. Trust is the Key to Success

"So here's the plan," Hannah said. She was sitting across from Steve. On his right was Panther, and on his left was the SHIELD agent Hannah had asked to join them for the mission.

"We'll fly into the embassy, we should get there around 14:00 their time. From there we will catch a ride with one of the troops to the military base, arriving at 15:15. We'll make any preparations we need to then. At 15:45 we'll take a Hum V to the edge of US occupied land, and we will disembark quietly. The vehicle will continue to the trenches to deliver supplies to troops stationed there. The point where we exit the vehicle is a 10 minute run from the compound we need to infiltrate. It will take us closer to 25 minutes because we need to remain unseen. We'll stay together until we get to a small bank of sand- there is one that overlooks the compound. From there, we will split into an attack team and recon. Agent May and I will force our way inside, Panther and Steve will wait at the bank until I give the signal. May, we're in charge of getting all the files onto a flashdrive- if anyone sees us-"  
"We accidentally drop the flashdrive and pretend that we lost the information. Stark's tech will transmit it directly to the Pentagon, but they don't need to know that," May interjected, looking bored. Steve could tell that she was anxious to get going.

"Right," Hannah continued. "If I give the signal, Steve and Pan will come break us out. Hopefully we won't need this but backup plans never hurt. Any questions?"

Panther raised his hand. "I assume since you called me Pan I'm not supposed to do this quietly?"

"Yeah, a little noise would be nice. I'm going to pretend I did that on purpose now."

"So, what exactly is the signal?" Steve asked.

"I don't know. You'll figure it out."

* * *

"Ready?" May asked. The four were crouched behind the sand bank: everything had gone smoothly so far, except for the Hum V drive. It had been very, very bumpy.

Hannah nodded in reply to the agent's question.

"Are you sure you don't want us to come along?" Steve asked. "We might be useful."

"You might also be noisy," Hannah replied as May glared at them out of the corner of her eye.

With a nod from Hannah, the two began running towards the compound, shifting in and out of the shadows. Anyone who wasn't expecting to see them there wouldn't.

"Now we wait," Panther said.

* * *

"Shit. Time to move," Panther said.

"We're supposed to wait for the signal."

"She already gave it."

"I didn't see anything obvious. She said it would be obvious."

"It was. Still is. Smoke isn't supposed to come out of that "chimney." The only thing that leads to is the old labs- they've been abandoned since they don't vent well enough."

"I don't see how that's 'obvious'," Steve insisted.

"It is to me."  
"Why?"

"Just is. You coming?"  
"Not until you give me a better reason to."

Panther sighed. "Fine. I grew up here. My parents were the main chemical engineers. I helped out around here too, until a couple of years ago. I guess you could say I was a sheltered child; I had no idea what was going on in the real world," Panther said bitterly. "Hannah was the only reason I learned- then, later, she was the only reason I left."

"So you're telling me that, because you used to be a TERRORIST, you expect me to follow you in there!? I bet that's why Hannah got caught in the first place. I bet you TURNED HER IN!" Steve whisper-shouted. As much as he wanted to scream his mind, he also didn't want to die.

"That's true, to a certain extent," Panther admitted. "But I didn't do it willingly. I can explain it later. Right now, Hannah and May are in there somewhere and they need our help to get out."

"Go. Go to whatever little trap you've set up. I'm going to wait for the SIGNAL!"

"Fine. You do that." Panther, seeing that he wasn't going to change the soldier's mind, took off, streaking through the shadows. Steve watched him disappear through the gate, still fuming, then settled back in to watch for a signal- and find a way to explain what had happened to Hannah and May.

* * *

"Dammit Rogers!" shouted a man.

Steve knew that something was wrong as soon as he heard the voice. This was supposed to be a silent operation- and no one on the other "side" would be mad at him.

But he didn't realize just how wrong things were until he pinpointed the voice.

Panther was running towards the sand bank where Steve was hiding, and May was running behind him, shooting anyone who came near enough to be a threat. They had came out a different door than they went in- and, with a sinking heart, Steve realized why. Hannah was thrown over Panther's shoulder, and there was blood running down her side. He couldn't tell where the wound was from, but he was pretty sure it was serious since she wasn't complaining, or even moving.

"Are you going to come with us? Because I can't carry you too, _Rogers_ ," Panther snapped, emphasizing his name. Steve had to admit, as much as he didn't want to, that it stung. Until now they had been on friendly terms- Now Panther of all people was mad.

"Like you have any right to be mad," Steve snapped back. "You're the one who tried to kill your girlfriend."

For your information, she isn't my girlfriend, and I never tried to kill her. Maybe if you had come she wouldn't be in this position!"

"Maybe if I could've trusted you I would have!"

"And what the hell was I supposed to do about that?" Panther asked, his voice low and dangerous. They had stopped in the middle of a large, flat expanse of desert. Panther gently laid Hannah on the ground, where May leaned over her.

"I don't know, being civilized would have been a good start."

"Do you have any idea what it took for me to leave this place? You've seen my house. When I ran, I had nothing. Literally just the clothes on my back. Trust me, if I was even remotely allied to these... these _monsters_ then I wouldn't have left! And even if I did I would have come back! here, I had food. In America, I don't even have that."

Steve was opening his mouth to reply when May's voice cut through the tension.

"QUIET!"

Both men looked at her in surprise.

"Would you both _shut up_ for a minute! No one is entirely to blame, and I don't think that Hannah would like it if you spent the last few minutes of her life screaming about it!"

"Wh-what do you mean by that?" Panther asked quietly.

"The bullet grazed her heart. Her pulse has been fading while you were arguing. It's almost gone now."

Panther knelt beside her.

"Hannah... Hannah please..." Steve watched as tears began rolling down the colonel's cheeks.

"There's nothing you can do?"

May shook her head sadly.


	9. Maybe Maybe Not

"There may be something," Panther said quietly. "I have no idea if it will work, but we can try." He paused for a moment, glancing worriedly at Steve. "He won't like it," he said to May.

"He won't have a problem with it," May said confidently. Steve decided he wouldn't have a problem with it.

"Before I left that place... there was an experiment. Somewhere, they got part of the Super Soldier Serum recipe."

"Does Fury know about this?"

"Not unless Hannah told him. I don't know what her reasoning was, but she wanted to keep it quiet."

"She's usually right. Go on," May said, nodding once.

"They injected one guy with the prototype serum, then used blood transfusions to spread the serum to others."

May watched him out of the corner of her eye. "It didn't work."

"No. Like I said, they only had part of the recipe. I don't know what would have happened if they could have perfected the serum."

May thought quietly for a second. "I'll call my team." She whipped out her phone.

"Coulson. I need-"

"I told you so," Steve's heightened senses picked up.

"I'm aware."

"So what do you need?"

"Can you come give us a lift from-"

"Look up."

Steve and May both glanced into the sky, where a large aircraft was materializing.

"You followed me."

"You needed help."

"I would've been fine."

"Apparently not if you're calling me."

May muttered something under her breath. "Hurry up. A friend sustained a serious injury and we need Fitzsimmons 10 minutes ago."

"On it."

The aircraft floated towards the ground, a door in the back opening as it touched. Steve saw two people running a stretcher past a very nice red convertible.

"Fitz, stop, we can't roll this through sand, you know that," the woman said.

"Well, um, can you get her over to us, by chance?" the man, Fitz called. May nodded. She and Panther carefully picked Hannah up and sprinted towards the plane.

"Hurry up Rogers!" Panther yelled. "We need you for this to work!" Steve ran. Steve ran faster when May looked at him. The trio reached the plane, and Hannah was placed on the stretcher. Fitz and the girl took off running- May, Panther, and Steve followed.

"I would say that she has a torn right atrium, possibly a bit into the right ventricle or pulmonary artery, it is impossible to see without a cursory radiograph. I would also worry about the stability of the sinoatrial node," Fitz diagnosed.

"In English?" Panther asked, sounding worried.

"Are you mental? I did explain what I meant using the Queen's bloody English! "

"I use normal English. Words like 'bad' 'emergency' and 'not my BLOODY FAULT!" Panther said the last part to Steve.

"Congratulations, Colonel McCarthy, you managed to string three words together into a sentence," May commented dryley.

The group turned into a doorway, stepping into a large lab. They were met with a tall, fit man in a SHIELD uniform.

"They're here. Get us off the radar," he onto his radio.

"I don't think there's anything we can do," the woman said.

"Usually people with this kind of injury succumb almost immediately," Fitz added.

"Oh! You're Steve Rogers! I've heard of you!"

"Not the time, Simmons," Fitz said, busily rearranging surgical tools.

"No. Of course not," she said rolling her sleeves up.

"Actually I think it's the perfect time. She needs a blood transfusion," Panther said.

Fitz and Simmons both looked up.

"Of course she does! Yes that is just the thing. Of course," Fitz muttered as he began to prepare the equipment.

"Here. Stand still," Simmons said to Steve, inserting an IV into his arm. "I think 3 quarts? If we calculate body mass index in proportion to general physical activity and cardiovascular endurance, that shouldn't be too much."

"A stretch maybe."

"But not too much."

"Hurry Simmons, we're losing her. More than before. Ready when you are." Simmons nodded, and Fitz flipped a couple of switches on the machine he had hooked Hannah and Steve up to.

"Vitals?"

"Steady."

"Now?"

"Heart rate increasing."

"Strength?"

"Getting there... almost..."

As if on cue, Hannah jerked her eyes open. "Sh, _shit_!" Panther said in response to her alarmed expression. "Don't you dare mo- Never mind." he said, watching as Hannah tried to jump up and was pushed back down by Fitz and Simmons.

"Breathe. Calm down. You're OK. We're not back there. They'll help you," Panther said to her. His words seemed to calm her down, although Hannah still looked terrified.

"Where the hell am I?" she asked after a second.

"No idea. We're on the bus. Coulson's driving."

"Well, crap. We're all good as dead!" Hannah said weakly. "What happened?"

"You got shot."

"Well no shit Sherlock!"

"Fitzsimmons said something about your sinus-atal mode or something."

"Sinoatrial node, it's basically the heart's natural pacemaker," Hannah said.

"How you know that beats me."

"I wanted to be a vet once."

"What changed?"

"Everything," Hannah said softly. "Geez, this hurts."

"So sorry," Simmons said, "but we're going to need to put stitches in..."

"Do it then," Hannah said.

"It will hurt..."

"Obviously."

"A lot, I'm afraid..."

"Then stop telling me about it and put the damn stitches in!"

Simmons nodded, swallowing nervously. Steve watched uncomfortably as Fitzsimmons worked together to clean and stitch the wound. Hannah didn't make a single sound, but Steve could tell she was in pain. A lot of pain. He watched as Panther grabbed one of her hands, and as Hannah clung to it like it was the only thing keeping her in the real world. Maybe it was. Steve knew that, despite what May had said, it was his fault that she was lying there. Suddenly, he just couldn't watch any more. He turned around and ran out the door.

* * *

After what had seemed like forever, Steve stopped running. He was inside a small room- someone's bunk, he realized. Leaning against the wall, Steve let the tears that had been threatening to break out finally show themselves. He couldn't get that image out of his head; Hannah, who was normally so strong and independent relying on Panther for support. Steve realized that Hannah, even though she knew his past, still trusted him. Bitterly, he wished that he could have too. Panther was right. Things may have turned out differently.

"It wasn't your fault," a voice said. Wheeling around, Steve saw the SHIELD agent who had met them in the lab. He was leaning against the door frame, watching Steve intently.

"I know how you feel right now. I promise, it wasn't your fault."

"If I had just gone in-"

"Then who's to say you wouldn't have gotten hurt too? You can't plan war, Captain."

"I should have gone in."

"Yeah. Yeah, you should have. Doesn't mean you get to sit in here and wallow in self pity. I bet your friend out there blames himself just as much."

"I didn't think about that."

"I know," the agent said. "I also thought I might tell you- you owe your comrade, both of them actually, an apology. The man is furious that you left again, and the woman is mad that you refused to trust Panther. I believe her exact words were, 'Would you get that _arschloch_ back in here? He owes Pan an apology, the idiot'."


	10. Mission Statement

"Director."

"Captain Rogers. Take a seat."

Steve walked into the spacious room. It appeared to be just a normal office, but Steve knew that the cabinets were for more than storage. And the desk? It was bulletproof.

Once Steve had sat down, Fury continued. "I have a mission for you."

"I'm retired."

"Actually, you're on an extended vacation. That just ended. And I have a mission for you."

"Yes, sir," Steve said reluctantly.

"There have been some recent power surges near Sokovia. One of my other agents already scanned the area, and she needs backup to go in. You're it."

"When do we leave?"

"Right now," came a woman's voice from behind him. Steve jumped. He hadn't noticed anyone when he came in. Turning around, he watched as a woman seemed to melt out of the shadows. "Here's your bag. It has everything you should need, and a few things you'll appreciate having."

"What are you doing here?" he asked, too stunned to ask any more intelligent questions. After all, he had been trying to avoid the general, even going so far as to block her from calling him. But her she was.

"I needed someone on the outside, and you seem to be good at that kind of thing," Hannah said coolly. "And, I seem to remember making some sort of agreement about a special regiment. I think it's a good idea, and I'm not about to let something stupid stop it."

"Something stupid! You almost died!"

"And you _almost_ succeeded in avoiding me."

"I couldn't do it."

"Do what? Pick up the phone? Did it never occur to you that I might be worried about you, too?"

Steve was silent. Fury cleared his throat. "Maybe you should discuss this later."

"I disagree," Hannah said. "We need to be on the same page before we go anywhere. If we can't reach an agreement, I have other people I can call for backup."

"That might be best," Steve said, almost relieved. "I don't think I can handle this again. Or maybe I should go in your place."

"Not a chance."

"There's no way you're back in top physical condition after that injury. You shouldn't even be able to walk."

"Well, I'm walking, and I'm going. You can talk to Simmons on the flight. She'll explain."

"I-"

"am going," Hannah cut in. "Great! Here's your bag. Let's move!"


End file.
